I am a firm believer that chiropractic adjustments can benefit children — even those who appear to be in perfect health.
Misalignments of spinal bones can occur early in life. During many typical births a baby’s head and neck are pulled and twisted as the newborn exist the birth canal. This can move spinal bones out of alignment and may cause problems later.
In babies, this may show up as colic or irritability, an inability to suckle and breastfeed, or poor sleep habits. Older children may experience developmental delays, an inability to concentrate, behavioral problems, digestive issues, asthma or headaches.
Growing children benefit from regular chiropractic checkups as they become more active and encounter the routine bumps and falls of childhood. Youths involved in school sports programs also receive chiropractic care both to maintain spinal heath and help improve athletic performance.
Abraham Towbin, MD states: “The birth process … is potentially a traumatic, crippling event … mechanical stress imposed by obstetrical manipulation-even the application of standard orthodox procedures may prove intolerable to the fetus … most signs of neonatal injury observed in the delivery room are neurological.”
Research is confirming chiropractors’ observations that infants may suffer from spinal subluxations. In one study, 1,250 babies were examined five days after birth; 211 of them suffered from vomiting, hyperactivity and sleeplessness. Subluxations were found in 95 percent of this group. Although the researchers in this study were MDs, they recognized the power of chiropractic care and these babies were given the care they needed. The spinal adjustment “frequently resulted in immediate quieting, cessation of crying, muscular relaxation and sleepiness.” The authors noted that an unhealthy spine causes “many clinical features from central motor impairment to lowered resistance to infections- especially ear, nose and throat infections.”
The above study discusses an 18-month-old boy suffering from tonsillitis, frequent enteritis, therapy-resistant conjunctivitis, frequent colds, earache and increasing sleeping problems. He received a chiropractic spinal adjustment. The child demanded to be put to bed and slept peacefully until morning. His health returned to normal. One wonders, what would have happened to this child if he never had chiropractic care? A life of antibiotics and other medications? A life of continued sickness?
The authors of the above-mentioned study concluded that a chiropractic spinal checkup “should be obligatory after every difficult birth” and any spinal stress “should be … adjusted … the success of adjustment overshadows every other type of care.”
According to the Chiropractic pediatric specialist Larry Webster, DC, there are six times in a baby’s first year of life when chiropractic examinations are especially important:
- After the birth process.
When the baby starts to hold his/her head up.
When the baby sits up.
When the baby starts to crawl.
When the baby starts to stand.
When the baby starts to walk.
Toddlerhood through childhood is a very “physical” time. Those first hesitant steps soon evolve into jumping, running, falls and accidents which are all part of a normal childhood. While most falls are minor, at times they can cause nerve-damaging subluxations with serious long-term consequences. For that reason, all children need periodic spinal check-ups.
What are the benefits of chiropractic for kids?
Over many decades parents, clinicians, and researchers have noticed positive changes in behavioral, physical, and emotional health of children under chiropractic care. Many different behavioral conditions have been observed to improve with chiropractic care including ADD/ADHD, anxiety, and also focus, concentration, and grades in school.
Since the nerves collectively control and influence all bodily functions, removing nerve interference may result in improvement of many different health problems depending on the area of the spine and nervous system involved. Improvement is commonly seen in conditions such as colic, constipation, ear infections, allergies, asthma, sinus infections, persistent bed wetting, stomach aches, “growing pains” in the legs or arms, headaches, back and neck pain, scoliosis, and abnormal gait among others.
We believe that the best reason to do any health related activity is for wellness and prevention. And it is easier to grow healthy children than to repair damaged adults. Life is so much better when your children never seem to get sick or have health problems than when you are routinely going from appointment to appointment constantly treating the symptoms of ill health.
It is not unusual to hear parents state that since starting chiropractic care their children get sick less frequently and less severely, have less ear infections, and take less antibiotics and other drugs than their classmates. Our vision is to use chiropractic today for a better world tomorrow. Starting from birth, remove interference to the body’s inborn ability to heal itself and allow children to reach their health potential throughout their life.
10 reasons parents take their children to see a chiropractor
- To encourage good neural plasticity (brain and nerve development).
- To support “first-class” nerve communication throughout the body to promoting health and wellbeing.
- To help strengthen their child’s immunity – encouraging fewer colds, ear-aches and general illness.
- To help resolve breastfeeding issues and colic.
- To reduce the detrimental impact our modern world has on our children’s health.
- To encourage children to thrive by supporting digestive strength.
- To diminish nerve interference which may impact their child’s capacity to learn and concentrate.
- To promote body balance – helping to resolve poor posture, asthma, allergies and bed-wetting.
- To help kids stay fun and light hearted.
- To help kids stay in tip-top shape.